Selkirk, Man., December 22, 2011—Selkirk and District General Hospital is now home to a new computed tomography (CT) scanner that is among the most advanced operating in Canada today.

Health officials and elected leaders were at the hospital today to officially inaugurate the scanner and observe the high quality images that are now available to radiologists. CT scans are often used to provide views of the brain, neck, spine, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and sinuses. These images guide patient care for cancer, trauma, surgery and general medical care.

“This new CT scanner reflects our commitment to bring the most technologically advanced diagnostic equipment closer to home. It will enhance and optimize patient care while giving health professionals the tools they need to quickly assess and diagnosis a patient,” said Minister of Health, Theresa Oswald.

CT scanning has entered a new dimension whereby images can be viewed in any plane, including 3D images. Selkirk’s new CT scanner can even generate information on kidney stone composition. Where possible, this new information will allow doctors to offer patients alternative, less invasive treatment options. New technology reconstructs images from the CT scan using a computer model that significantly improves image clarity from low radiation dose scans. While the dosage of radiation, also called the imaging dose, used in a scan is dependent on the body part being scanned, the patient’s body and the type of scan being done, the new scanner could reduce imaging dose by as much as 88 per cent in some cases.

“With so much work being done to reduce radiation dose for patients, it is an exciting time in the imaging field,” said Jim Slater, chief executive officer of Diagnostic Services of Manitoba (DSM). “The new scanner in Selkirk, as well as other recent CT upgrades across the province, have brought these innovations to Manitoba and are contributing to safer scans for patients.”

The new scanner is capable of providing heart and colon scans and it can scan using two X-ray beams. In this manner, the scanner can capture needed information at one appointment and save patients from undergoing multiple scans.

“Residents of Selkirk and surrounding areas are accessing top notch technology for CT scanning,” said Randy Lock, chief executive officer of the Interlake Regional Health Authority. “This is an excellent addition to the diagnostic medicine services that we’re offering in the region.”

The new CT scanner replaces the hospital’s eight-year-old unit. During the installation of the new CT scanner, Selkirk diagnostic staff continued providing service via a mobile CT scanner set up just outside the hospital’s emergency entrance.

Selkirk & District General Hospital’s laboratory and imaging services, and those within the Interlake Regional Health Authority, are part of DSM’s provincial diagnostic network. DSM was created in 2002 as the not-for-profit corporation responsible for all of Manitoba’s public laboratory services and for rural diagnostic imaging services.